3 Ways To Help Your Employees Through A Personal Crisis

When you’re an employer, you’re doing more than just running a business. You’re inherently connected to the lives of the people on your team, and that means being there for them during the good times and the bad.

A personal crisis can and will hit any employee, and every crisis is different. It could be a personal health problem or a health issue for a spouse or family member. It could be grief and loss or any big life change.

As an employer, you should never turn a blind eye to your employee’s struggles. Helping them through it is the right thing to do, showing them the same compassion that you would hope to see if the shoe was on the other foot. But that’s not all. Helping employees through times of crisis shows them — and the rest of your staff — that you value and appreciate them, that they’re not just a number.

But navigating an employee’s personal crisis can be difficult for any employer. Here are three ways you can help best.

1) Pay Attention

Employees won’t always come to you with their problems. In fact, many of them will actively avoid it as long as they can. But this gives a crisis time to build up, for their stress to impact every aspect of their life, including their work.

Get to know your employees well enough to notice changes in demeanor. When employees seem distracted or down, simply ask them if they’re OK. Show them you care by being a good, attentive listener.

2) Create a Support System

Prioritize your employees’ well-being by creating a support system across your entire organization. Work with your human resources department and managers or with an outside Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to put in place a safety net and support for a personal crisis.

3) Walk the Talk

Show your employees you care about them, and set the example yourself. This should be engrained as a top priority across all departments with all management. Everyone should be on board with investing in the well-being of your employees proactively at every possible opportunity.

When you discover an employee that needs support, be flexible. Crisis response is not one-size-fits-all. The team member could need flexibility on hours, work-from-home capability or even to shift work to other team members temporarily. No matter what their needs, being there for them is a fulfillment of your mission and commitment to building a healthy workplace.